The Digital Handshake: Seven Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business Using Social Media

Chapter 5. Customers Are Mad as Hell, and They're Not Going to Take It Anymore

This chapter details case studies of three such companies. Two of these studies, the ones dealing with Kryptonite and Dell, reach back a few years into the Internet archives. The other, Motrin, serves as a more recent example. I chose these not based on recency but for the lessons that can be learned.

Each has a distinct reason for being shared. The Kryptonite example shows us how long-standing negative brand reputation can be, even when a company takes steps to change its image. The Motrin story shows us how quickly the groundswell can spread and illustrates the difference in social media tools used today as opposed to those used in the Kryptonite and Dell examples. Lastly, the Dell study illustrates how a company can successfully change its reputation and evidences some of the steps taken to do so.

KRYPTONITE: YOU CAN TUG ON SUPERMAN'S CAPE

The story of bicycle lock manufacturer Kryptonite is probably the most classic example of how consumer-generated media can damage a brand.

In late 2004, an online video began to circulate showing how a Kryptonite lock could be compromised using an inexpensive Bic ballpoint pen. A brand new Kryptonite Evolution 2000 lock was opened in a matter of seconds using the barrel of the pen, inserting it into the lock and giving a single twist.

The story spread quickly, starting ...